Portobello Banh Mi

Gosh golly, I have really been meaning to post this portobello banh mi for a while now. Perhaps life has gotten in the way a bit, and perhaps I just eat them way too fast whenever I make them. Who knows? (Me. I know.)

I inhaled my very first Vietnamese banh mi sandwich sometime around a year ago- I remember that it was from Lela’s Bistro on NW 23rd and it was filled with pork belly, which had beautiful and succulent layers of fat that first crackled and then melted in my mouth as I ate it (and then I melted). And then I decided that I would honestly prefer not to eat anything but banh mi sandwiches for the rest of my days. Since that fateful sandwich, I have been on a sort of banh mi tour of west Portland. In my mind, I collect data from each sandwich, mentally listing and frankenstein-ing and adding up to the perfect conceivable version.

On this journey I have concluded that the most crucial element that makes it or breaks it is not the meat in the sandwich, and it’s not the pickles or veggies- it’s the baguette! Since I started making my own banh mi at home, I have learned that the quickest way to ruin it is to use a good baguette. Those rustic, chewy, glutenous baguettes you find on the fancy side of the bakery by the olive bar are absolute garbage here. What’s needed is something with a tender, yielding crumb and a thin, crackling crust. Go for the cheap, yellow-ish, shiny-crusted second-cousin of a baguette, over by the donuts. A lot of my favorite things are found by the donuts. Mainly, other donuts.

While traditional Vietnamese banh mi are most often stuffed with pate and some form of charred pork product (though fusions stuffed with Korean bulgogi and kimchi are equally amazing), and while I certainly enjoy eating the meaty varieties, I prepare my own meatless rendition at home to cut down on cost, fat, and effort. I once again employ the mighty portobello mushroom as a very acceptable stand-in for the meat, and honestly, I find it just as much of a pleasure to eat. Thick slices of portobello are marinated in soy, fish sauce, and a few other flavors and then oven roasted. The warm strips are stuffed into a soft baguette, along with mayo, quick-pickled carrot, cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro. The whole thing tastes marvelously fresh and balanced, with a wonderful variety of textures and colors.

Definitely licked some mayo off my lens focus ring during this shoot, by the way.